Happy Hanukkah!!
I came home from the "Latke v. Hamentashen" debate that took place this past Sunday and headed straight to the kitchen! Although I do have a sweet tooth, my vote is Latke!
Over the past years, I have helped my mother in the kitchen to make lots of different kinds of latkes. We do potato, sweet potato, and my favorite: potato and zucchini. Even my mother-in-law told me that she tried a new recipe that was potato and apple! I love experimenting with all of these different flavors. It is a fun way to bring my culinary interests into tradition.
This year, I tried something extreme: I avoided all potatoes AND I didn't fry them! During Hanukkah we fry our foods (latkes or sufganiyot, doughnuts) to symbolize the miracle of the oil that was found and then lasted 8 days. Although these latkes are not fried, they still do have oil on them, so I think it counts. So what did I make my latkes out of, if not potatoes? Carrots and parsnips! They were delicious with a bright, fresh, flavor. In fact, they were so well loved, that they were all eaten before I had a chance to take a photo!
Carrot and Parsnip Latkes
Ingredients:
1 lb carrots, peeled and grated
1 lb parsnip, peeled and grated
1 small onion, grated
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup Matzo Meal
1 teaspoon dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste
cooking spray
Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350. Grate carrots, parsnip and onion into a large mixing bowl. Squeeze out as much moisture as possible. Add eggs, matzo meal, thyme, salt and pepper and mix well. Prepare 2 or 3 large cookie sheets with foil and cooking spray. Spoon out mixture onto cookie sheets. Spray more cooking spray over each individual latke before cooking. Bake for about 15-20 minutes, until browns.
I hope that you enjoy them! If you have other fun latke combinations, please post a comment. I would love to try more!
